Hey guys, I'm brand brand new to the X-Wing miniature game. I'm going to pick the core set up at the weekend, but I'm already fairly confident I'll really enjoy it.
Therefore, I'd like to ask about general game meta that I wont have heard about yet, sensible or effective Rebel lists and unit uses, upgrades, pilots and tactics
Learn me please!
Here are a few squads that I have found varying degrees of success with for the rebels.
100 points
or
99 points
or
100 points
All of these are different approaches to the rebels. The first is kind of a swarm (you can get a little closer to a swarm with a ton of a-wings, but I have found that this performs better). The second is a variation on the famous Han Shoots First (HSF) which is very forgiving. The last, if you keep biggs near the back so he's only drawing a couple of shots each turn, allows luke and wedge to deal some serious damage.
Here are some Imperial options:
100 points
or, the really swarmy times, with a few extra points for upgrades or better pilots
96 points
some people really like the firespray
99 points
or, the important thing here is the heavy laser cannon and captain jonus.
99 points
or this one requires some spacial awareness skill, but can be deadly.
98 points
I hope these help a little.
Welcome,
First off if you can get the core at a good price $25 or less I would grab two right away if it is in the budget. That way you will have all the components for two players and six ships to start off. This is the most economical way to go IMO as expansion ship MSRP for $15 and can usually be found online for about $10. Two core sets give you six ships with two sets of templates and dice for $50.
Then start to get at least 1 of each expansion you like. With the two core sets you will need 1 more rebel ship and 1 more imperial to be able to build a 100pts squad for each. I would suggest an Advanced Tie and a X-wing expansion be your first purchases after the core sets. This way you will be able to put togehter a 100pt Rebel and 100pt Imperial Squad and learn the game.
As for specifics squad list everyone has their own opinion and there are plenty of posts on that if you look around as you aquire at least one of each expansion you will have all the ships, pilots and upgrade cards to deterime what you like for purchasing extras.
Have fun!
Edited by afilterYou'll also want the spare dice that two core sets provide.
List-Building is one of my favorite parts of the game, and something I love about this game is that you can build a good fleet out of almost any combination of ships. Private Message me if you want some specifics 
Thanks for the responses guys.
Am I right in thinking that Wave 1 is fairly well out of stock at the moment? Ebay and the like is mostly turning up third wave ships, and high priced first wave ships.
I'm in the UK, and a Waterstones shop in Plymouth has a few boxes as well as the core set, but I won't be able to go until the weekend, so I don't know what expansions will be available to me (I'll go there because I have a bookcard which wont cost me any real money 
)
Wave 1's reprint is on the boat, coming to a shop near you!
That's good stuff. There is something bordering on a FLGs in Plymouth too, but I don't live there anymore. Think they have some bits as well.
Hopefully I'll be able to find someone, or at least convince my girlfriend to play a few games with me.
It's an easy game to learn, if you build the lists beforehand. Try some of the scenarios in the back of the rule books for small list games that are beginner friendly
I'd like to try something similar to yoink101's first and third lists.
Mixing Wedge and Biggs with Y wings or B wings or something.
How would you go about doing that, since I don't have the points values etc to hand?
Use a squad builder. They're nice because you can just have your whole squad on one or two pages without having to worry about having all of the cards, or rummaging through them to find everything you need. If you plan on playing in a tournament though, make sure you have all of the cards you want to use. These are my two favorites, for different reasons.
http://fabpsb.free.fr/mindex.php?lng=en
Oh excellent, thanks man, that's really helpful
That's good stuff. There is something bordering on a FLGs in Plymouth too, but I don't live there anymore. Think they have some bits as well.
Hopefully I'll be able to find someone, or at least convince my girlfriend to play a few games with me.
Plymouth, MA?
Some other helpful links:
http://boardgamegeek.com/forums/thing/103885/star-wars-x-wing-miniatures-game
Also search for "x wing miniatures battle report" on youtube, some of them are quite good, especially the ones by Team Covenant:
Plymouth, UK. Thanks for the intent though
One question, I know that this game is relatively fluffy so I've got a reasonable guess, but what are the best roles for each of the fighters?
I'd like to know about the tactics and more effective ways to use each craft
Edited by CaptainBoxmanOne question, I know that this game is relatively fluffy so I've got a reasonable guess, but what are the best roles for each of the fighters?
I'd like to know about the tactics and more effective ways to use each craft
Bit of a hefty question you've got there, lol. I managed to do a 2 page report on the strengths and weaknesses on the Lambda Class Shuttle alone, and that's without getting into its roles. Hell, different upgrades drastically alter ships from being gunboats to support tanks, not to mention which pilots you're fielding. I'm hesitant to start a discussion on this, as otherwise it will be a freakin' dissertation
Well, that's fair enough, it's just harder to get into the game/rules stuff than something like 40k, because of the smaller community it seems.
Could you give me a really really direct, bullet point version of the very very basic roles? You've all been real helpful so far!
Alrighty then
Rebel Scum
X-Wing: The Workhorse. It has good survivability, and good damage, and you can purchase regenerative Astromech Droids. Has some of the best Pilots in the game.
Y-Wing: The Gunboat. You'll never use the missile slots on here, but it's a wonderful platform for a Turret. The utility of "Dutch" Vander is impossible to underestimate, and they can also pick up Astromech Droids, to less effect than the X-Wings.
A-Wing: The Wasp. Best maneuver dial in the game, only Rebel ship with Boost and Evade actions or 3 evasion dice, and cheap as hell. Its higher-level pilots...aren't that great, but its two lower-level pilots are astonishing.
B-Wing: The Beast. It is the best long-range heavy-weapons system in the game, and is also one of the best close-range combatants. Ibtisam and Ten Nunb are both insane.
HWK-290: The Support. Its stats aren't very good, but its pilots have wonderful abilities, and it can hold a Co-Pilot and a Turret. It's also even cheaper than the A-Wing!
YT-1300: The Moneypit. Its the most expensive ship in the game, but between its Pilots, Double Co-Pilot slots, its 360* firing arc, and its huge amounts of health, it's almost always worth it. Always, Always, Always use it with a Gunner.
The Rightful Authority
Tie-Fighter: The Zergling. It's the cheapest ship in the game, by far. Howlrunner, however, has one of the most overpowered abilities of any pilot. They don't deal as much damage as the Rebels do, but the price difference means you can get 2 Academy Pilots per Rookie Pilot. Swarms hurt, and melt low-evasion fleets.
Tie Interceptor: The Ninja. Only the A-Wing has a better Maneuver Dial, but even that lacks a Barrel Roll. You can build this for high-aggression, or for high-evasion, and Soontir Fel with Push the Limit is almost overpowered. Its' the third ship in the game to get a second expansion, after all.
Tie Advanced: The Bruiser. It deals as much damage as an A-Wing with its Target Lock action, and it has all of the evasion utility of a Tie-Fighter, with the HP of an X-Wing. It is simply the most survivable small-ship in the game. Pity that most consider it to be over-costed and therefore unplayable. Except Darth Vader, because he's awesome.
Tie Bomber: The Beast. It's cheap cost means you can load up a horde with a missile-based Alpha-Strike, or give each of them free-damage in the form of Bomb upgrades. Captain Jonus acts as 2 Howlrunners for Secondary Weapons as well. Did I mention it's got TWICE the hull of a Tie Fighter, and the Advanced's ability to Target Lock?
Lambda Class Shuttle: The Oddity. It's the cheapest Cannon Platform in the game, is the only ship in the game that can decide not to move, and has the Systems upgrades of the B-Wing and the Double Co-Pilot of the YT-1300. However, it moves about as well as a brick. Captain Yorr and Col. Jendon are both hugely helpful to a mini-swarm, stealing their Stresses or passing out Target Locks, respectively.
Firespray-31: The Big-Guy. You can theoretically run 3 of these in a 100 point game. You can run Boba Fett with Navigator, and just decide to wait until he moves to pick his maneuver. You can use Krassis Trellix with a Heavy Laser Cannon, and Howlrunner yourself. With 10 natural HP, 2 Evasion Dice, and the Evade ability, it's simply the most maneuverable ship in the game. And it can shoot out of its butt!
You sir, are a gentleman and a scholar. How does this sound?
Wedge Antilles - X-wing (29)
- R2 Astromech (1)
- Push The Limit (3)
• Total : 33
"Dutch Vander" - Y-wing (23)
- R2 Astromech (1)
- Ion Cannon Turret (5)
• Total : 29
Ten Numb - B-wing (31)
- Marksmanship (3)
- Proton Torpedoes (4)
• Total : 38
Hi there Captain! I too am a newbie... I've been playing the Core Boxset with my six year old daughter and we've been having a blast! I'm looking at building a couple of Imperial fleets to hopefully get a few 'grown-up' games in with.
Check out this article I wrote recently:
http://lkhero.blogspot.com/2013/11/x-wing-rebels-observations.html
Hopefully that will answer some questions and give you some ideas.
Good show. Also, I'm going to post my list again, because we just switched pages and it might get missed.
Wedge Antilles - X-wing (29)
- R2 Astromech (1)
- Push The Limit (3)
• Total : 33
"Dutch Vander" - Y-wing (23)
- R2 Astromech (1)
- Ion Cannon Turret (5)
• Total : 29
Ten Numb - B-wing (31)
- Marksmanship (3)
- Proton Torpedoes (4)
• Total : 38
Is this suck?
Edited by CaptainBoxmanGood show. Also, I'm going to post my list again, because we just switched pages and it might get missed.
Wedge Antilles - X-wing (29)
- R2 Astromech (1)
- Push The Limit (3)
• Total : 33
"Dutch Vander" - Y-wing (23)
- R2 Astromech (1)
- Ion Cannon Turret (5)
• Total : 29
Ten Numb - B-wing (31)
- Marksmanship (3)
- Proton Torpedoes (4)
• Total : 38
Is this suck?
It is not suck. No list with both Wedge and Ten Nunb is suck.
I prefer Garven and Ibtisam alongside "Dutch", though. When you've got 3 level 6 pilots, things get rather silly fairly quickly. When you're giving away free Target Locks AND free Focus Tokens, you've got some huge utility.
Best advice I can give from a rookie is to get together at your local game store to play with others. The community is quite helpful and seeing just how the shops maneuver and react is great for getting the feel of it and understanding the game. It has helped me and I feel more comfortable after each game. HoundsTooth, my son is 7 and is progressing nicely as well. Playing in the game store has made him more excited and he plays with all upgrades, etc. Now that we have a better handle on the rules it will be more intense and the wife has all but given the blessing to add more ships!
It is not suck. No list with both Wedge and Ten Nunb is suck.
I prefer Garven and Ibtisam alongside "Dutch", though. When you've got 3 level 6 pilots, things get rather silly fairly quickly. When you're giving away free Target Locks AND free Focus Tokens, you've got some huge utility.
I suppose I'll just have to get them and test it out to find out what I like best eh? That's one of the things that I like about this game; I'm spending a tenner to get like a bunch of different unit options that I can change at any point if I don't find use for it, whereas in something like Warhammer, I spend £30 on something that might suck, and then I can't do anything with it.
Best advice I can give from a rookie is to get together at your local game store to play with others. The community is quite helpful and seeing just how the shops maneuver and react is great for getting the feel of it and understanding the game. It has helped me and I feel more comfortable after each game. HoundsTooth, my son is 7 and is progressing nicely as well. Playing in the game store has made him more excited and he plays with all upgrades, etc. Now that we have a better handle on the rules it will be more intense and the wife has all but given the blessing to add more ships!
I'm gonna go try and find a club, it just so happens that I'm in the sticks, and the nearest gaming club is about an hour and a half away, and I'm fairly sure they sell it, but almost exclusively play MTG.